Silence of Witches
by Marasaki
Summary: Crossover of Naruto and Silent Hill. Lee doesn't survive his surgery and Gai's feelings of guilt draw him into the town of Silent Hill... Finally Completed! The sequel to Silence of Witches, Seal of Metatron is soon to come!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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The sky was gloomy as always, gray clouds looming over the bustling village of the Hidden Leaf. No matter how brightly the sun shone through during the day, the dark cloud that floated above his head was impenetrable by it's rays, thus it was perpetual. The cloud rained on him like a curse, it's mere presence sending him into a swirling vortex of silent agony. He hadn't smiled in over a week, which was unlike him, considering that smiling was seemingly a habit of his. It was a habit that broke suddenly like a mirror being hit with a sledgehammer. Everyone noticed it, and everyone knew why. 

His sadness was observed by everyone that knew and didn't know him alike. Many of his features changed, some even less obvious than his lack of grinning widely, giving a thumbs up, and the sudden, random, out-of-nowhere reflection of light from his perfectly white teeth. His bowl cut jet-black hair had lost its cheery sheen and his dark eyes were clouded over. He was quiet, much more quiet than even Kakashi would have liked.

Even though it seemed that Kakashi would have probably been the least likely person to care at first glance, he was probably the one most worried about the no longer exuberant green clad ninja. Even at assemblies between the two, other jounin of the village and Tsunade, he would make periodic glances at Gai from time to time. Although it was verbally clear that Gai was indeed paying attention to what Tsunade was saying, his blank expression suggested that his mind was most likely elsewhere.

Ever since the day that Gai had lost his livelihood, Kakashi watched him like a hawk. Of course, this wasn't immediate. Kakashi only first noticed Gai's sudden lack of energy about a day after the funeral. He had figured that Gai would try to keep himself up above water after such a loss, but his assumptions turned out to be false. Neji and Tenten also seemed to be having trouble coping with the loss of their silly, yet beloved, teammate, though Kakashi knew that they would recover in time. Gai, he wasn't so sure about.

He knew why Gai was acting this way. He was there when Tsunade made herself personally the bearer of bad news. Gai almost fell to his knees at the hospital. Before he completely lost any trace of energy in his body, he almost begged to be allowed to see the body of his late student. Kakashi made no effort to hold Gai back. It would have been futile, not to mention incredibly cruel.

Gai didn't even wait for a confirmation before he bolted into the room where Lee's body was being held. Along the way, he wondered where he went wrong. 'I told him he'd live through it… I told him that he was strong enough to survive it… I promised him…' When he clamored into the room, he quickly stopped. Lee was laying flat on his back, his now white body cleaned of blood from various incisions and placed in a taunting gray bag, zipped up to about the middle of his chest, if not, lower. His face was calm and relaxed. He almost seemed as if he was sleeping.

All color seemed to have drained from Gai's face that very moment. The only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat. It was otherwise a deafening silence. Had Gai the ability to muster up some hidden strength, he would have sprinted over and gathered Lee's powder white body in his arms in a heartbeat. Yet seeing Lee lay there in a cold clammy heap stripped him of any and all traces of human dignity he had left and he cried freely. His sobs would have been comical had the reason not been so grave.

Kakashi had caught up to him, reaching out and holding the other man steady as his good eye caught sight of Lee resting his eternal slumber. He almost forgot Gai was there; the only clue that gave away his very existence being the trembling of his shoulders against Kakashi's bracing hands. The silver haired ninja snapped back to reality and looked to his weeping comrade. He shook him lightly in a useless attempt to console him, "Gai!" After a moment with no response from the other, Kakashi looked back up at Lee, putting Sasuke in the other genin's place in an attempt to empathize. He didn't say a word about it to Gai afterwards.

Ever since that day, Kakashi kept an eye on the green clad ninja almost constantly, not caring whether or not Gai caught him. Gai did indeed notice the copy ninja watching him but didn't bother confronting him or fleeing the minute he caught glimpse of silver tufts.

It became harder for Kakashi to watch over him over time. Gai had shortened his daily all-day training sessions, every other day it seemed it was shortened a little more. It soon came that Gai had quit altogether and stayed home. Kakashi had accustomed himself to spying on the other at his home, struggled to peer in through the window that was slightly covered by a curtain in order to keep out the sunlight. Though Gai was normally neat and tidy with his living space, Kakashi noticed that he did a very poor job at concealing the window.

Gai was sitting on his bed, on the edge to be precise, staring blankly down at the floor. The room was somewhat less than a pig sty, but still messy; too messy to be Gai's room. His usual bowl was a messy mob of bed hair. He was dressed in dark green plaid lounge pants and his feet were planted firmly on the maroon carpet of his floor.

He brought his hands up to his face and covered his eyes momentarily, letting out a faint moan. His voice was nasal and sickly. He looked up, his eyes surrounded by a pinkly shade of red. The rest of him was pale and he was abnormally thin. His skin didn't look at all real to Kakashi. This massive change in Gai's behavior and outward appearance disturbed him.

"That's called stalking, you know," came a calm, yet grave voice from behind outside of Gai's window. Kakashi didn't jump or look back over his shoulder. He knew who it was. "In my personal view, it's called observing," he replied nonetheless. Asuma picked the cigarette from his lips and heaved a small sigh before walking a few steps towards Kakashi before shortly stopping and looking up at the window.

"He's not doing better is he," Asuma mused aloud.

Kakashi shook his head bitterly, "No."

Asuma sighed and closed his eyes briefly, then spoke in a semi-hopeful voice, "I'm sure he'll come around sometime."

Kakashi shrugged, "I honestly don't know. I've never seen him so shaken up like this."

Asuma frowned, "And he's probably never lost a student that's precious to him, either."

Kakashi sighed, "I just hope he doesn't do anything…drastic."

Asuma smiled slightly, "I really doubt he will."

"I'd like to think so."

"Hm."

Kakashi shook his head as he looked away. He stood back from the window, looking down at the floor. He didn't like seeing Gai this way. He was close to considering going off and bugging his students to get his mind off the whole thing. But then again, they probably wouldn't be in the mood to be pestered. But on the flipside, being bugged would help get their mind off of Lee. But then…

Kakashi's train of thought was abruptly derailed when the corner of his eye caught a glaring reflection of sunlight that peered in through the window from inside the room. Gai held a kunai in his hands, examining it idly and flipping it around and about in his hand. He pressed his thumb against the tip, a small bead of scarlet forming on his thumb and rolling down towards his palm.

"I promised you…And you know me, Lee…I never break my promises…" came his faint words.

Kakashi stared in through the window, "Wait a minute…" Asuma blinked in slight confusion as he adjusted his vest and put the cigarette back between his lips, "What?"

Kakashi blinked as Gai slowly drew the kunai down a forearm crimson spilling onto his pants, "He isn't! Asuma!"

Asuma looked up as Kakashi dashed, shattering open the window with a burst and quickly following him in, dodging any broken glass that may have cut him. Almost in a flash, Gai's seemingly lifeless form was restrained, Asuma holding him in a half nelson with one arm, while holding his free hand tightly around Gai's left forearm. Kakashi was behind them, holding Gai's wrist and releasing the hopeless grip on the kunai.

All three were silent for a while, and Gai let his head hang. His right arm was bleeding, scarlet fluid screaming as it ran slick and sticky and dripped onto the carpet.

"There are less messy ways to do yourself in, Gai…" Kakashi said quietly, not moving. Asuma blinked and rolled his eyes slightly, but still held the thinner ninja tightly. He blinked, noticing just how thin his body was. Gai didn't reply to Kakashi's remark but slightly slumped against Asuma, a soft, pained whimper escaping his throat.

Asuma quickly changed the subject, "Gai, are you eating?"

Gai didn't answer for a minute but slowly shook his head.

Kakashi growled, having a hard time controlling his word choice due to his anger, "Gai… All of this nonsense over Lee… This is not healthy for you at all." Gai shook, trembling against Kakashi's and Asuma's grasp. He spoke finally, in a quivering voice, "You may have lost your father, Obito and Rin, but you've never lost a son…" Asuma was quiet. Gai slumped forward against Asuma's hold, shaking with sobs. Kakashi's frown deepened at the sight and put the kunai in his pocket.

Asuma released Gai from his hold, yet kept an arm around his chest to keep him from falling over. Kakashi let go of his arm, sighing deeply before retreating into the bathroom and grabbing a few cloths and towels, wetting the clothes in the sink and returning with towels in one hand and wet clothes in the other. He looked to Asuma, who had Gai lay down, "You may go if you need to, Asuma. Thank you."

Asuma looked to Kakashi and nodded solemnly, "Call me if you need me." Kakashi now had a sad frown on his face, "I will." With that, Asuma stood and left.

Kakashi laid the towels on the bed behind Gai, who now lay on his side in a fetal position, his sobs racking his entire body. Kakashi sat next to Gai and pulled him up into a sitting position, grabbed his bleeding arm and cleaning blood from his skin. He took a towel and wrapped it tightly around the wound. Gai quickly pulled his arm away afterwards and buried his face into his hands.

Somewhat annoyed, Kakashi viciously slapped Gai's hands away from his face before taking a cool wet cloth and pressing it gently against the other's face, his free arm wrapping slightly around his naked shoulders. Gai's cries were quieted, soothed by the damp softness against his face, red and hot from tears. There was sweat running down from his hair and Kakashi quickly wiped Gai's forehead and hair, sleeking it back and revealing all of Gai's forehead.

"There's a new look for you," Kakashi murmured, cleaning and wiping tears from Gai's cheeks. His sobs were now quiet whines, almost inaudible to the untrained ear. Kakashi took fresher, damp clothes and ran them down Gai's neck and shoulders to his chest and over his ribs to his belly.

"You need. To eat," Kakashi sighed quietly. He didn't know what else there was to do, other than properly wrap Gai's wound, confiscate any and all sharp objects from the green clad ninja, and get him psychiatric help. He treated Gai's wound the best he could and tucked the exhausted man into bed, his head laying lifelessly against the pillow. His neck seemed outstretched like a dead bird's, and his eyes were half-lidded and glazed.

Kakashi put the last damp cloth over Gai's forehead and headed to leave, but stopped before the door and uttered, "I trust you won't make such an attempt to kill yourself again, Gai," he turned his head back towards the other, "If you do, I'll give you what for." He left then, almost slamming the door.

Gai watched him leave silently before rolling over on his side. He snuggled against the pillow and sighed. He closed his eyes, picturing Lee's smiling face once more before more tears came. He held his hands up against his face, struggling to stifle anymore sobs.

"Oh Lee… Please forgive me… I had faith that you would make it… I never meant for this to happen…" He curled up, holding his hands tightly over his chest.

_It's all my fault…You never deserved any of this to happen to you. I lead you down the path of death once. I didn't want to lead you down that road ever again. But now…_

Gai shut his eyes, his breathing faint and steady, guilt swarming in his chest, a throbbing pain he struggled to close up and seal away. He would have to break the promise he made to Lee many nights before. The only thing he could do now is try his best to cope and silently plead for forgiveness from both Lee and Kakashi.

He stared blankly at the far corner of his room, pulling a blanket tighter around him, calming down some. The corner was dark, somewhat smudged. He blinked, leaning his head closer and staring with squinted dark eyes. It seemed grungy, a bit dirty perhaps. He decided that it was nothing and shuddered some before falling into a sleep from exhaustion.

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End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

hr 

The mental alarm clock in his head had been smashed, making now only a soft buzzing noise that urged him to sleep longer than it would originally allow him. He didn't want to lose the alleviation of sleep. Whenever consciousness reared its ugly head, he'd bury his head further into the darkness beneath his pillow. The darkness was welcoming and soothing to his burning eyelids. The warmth as well gave him a sense of security, an intense summer heat that made him sweat under the heavy blankets. He found comfort in these places.

The attacks of the mere concept of waking up became more frequent and finally, enough was enough. With a grunt of annoyance, he raised his head out from under his pillow. He was laying on his stomach and he propped himself up on his elbows, the blankets sliding down slightly to reveal his shoulders to the ceiling. His hair was messy beyond its usual bowl form, a few strands defying gravity, others weighed down by burdening tangles.

He sighed and laid his head back down upon his pillow, letting out a faint moan to the cool cloth against his warm skin. He closed his eyes, laying there for a moment before opening them back up once more, dark misty orbs staring up at the window, through which rays of light intruded. It was daytime, obviously, midday to be precise. He lifted his head and looked down at his pillow, his eyes half lidded and absent. _How long have I been asleep…? It must have been this same time yesterday when I passed out…_

He flung off the covers and pulled his legs over the edge of the bed, planting the bottoms of his feet flat on the carpeted floor. His body groaned with hunger as he stood and grabbed a sweatshirt laying about the floor over some dumbbells at the foot of his bed and fit it over his torso. He decided that once he ate some breakfast, he would take a hot relaxing shower.

He felt cold upon exiting his room and into the hallway of light beige walls, large barren walls of nothing but space and continuity until it reached a room who's door was perpetually closed. What it was for or what the room contained he knew not. Whenever he looked down that barren hallway, he would feel a grave, swelling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Memories of curiosity pertaining to the inner contents and workings of the room told tales of him grimacing over the thought of walking in and ending with, "Maybe some other time." He didn't know what it was about that room, but his human instinct, in response to the foreboding sense emitting from the door, told him to stay away and never question.

For now, he ignored the room and made his way to the kitchen. A gloomy atmosphere filled his kitchen now, replacing what used to be bright with the cheery scent of cinnamon. In the center was a counter that served as a table, sheltering stools on one side opposite of the stove and oven. Counters and cupboards held the stove and oven in place against the western wall. The north wall was secured with a sink, a dishwasher and a toaster oven. Above the sink was a window, the very window that Lee used to look out of whenever he was visiting. The east wall was barren with the exception of the refrigerator and a shelf containing a small amount of various knickknacks.

Pausing for a minute, he looked up at the window, seeing a shadowy figure stand there, hands on the edge of the sink, peering out curiously before turning their head about and smiling widely, with those large round eyes, thick eyebrows and shiny teeth. He looked away, the ghostly figure disappearing into the gloominess of the kitchen. Slowly, he made his way to the refrigerator, opening it up and looking inside, light flooding over him and a coolness emitting from its inner contents. He reached in, pulling out a package of eggs and a small pack of butter. Eggs and warm tea this morning sounded fine with him.

He fixed his meal in dead silence, fixing up his tea while his eggs cooked, his eyes wandering aimlessly about his walls. He rain a hand through his black hair, fixing a few strands and combing out tangles with his fingers. Once his eggs were done, he scooped them onto a plate and set it down on the counter table, leaving it to cool off some while he tended to his tea. Once his tea was done, he sat down and ate.

Lee would have sat next to him to eat or stand in front of him, whichever worked for him that particular morning. They would always talk, the subject usually being one that was randomly picked out of nowhere. Now, there was only silence and the loneliness of the empty kitchen, the loneliness of not having the young man bouncing around with a cheery smile on his face.

He was startled by a soft knocking on his front door. When he calmed, he shoved the last few pieces of egg into his mouth and quickly swallowed, putting the plate and his chopsticks by the sink before walking into the living room and opening the door.

It was Kakashi. Kakashi visiting him was a rare occasion indeed. He only held the door open a crack, "Yes?" He didn't particularly feel like having any company over, but eased the door open anyway. Kakashi was dressed as he usually was, only he didn't have any naughty books on his person this time.

Kakashi looked up, his sharingan eye exposed, which put Gai somewhat in a state of fear. The exposed sharingan was known as Kakashi's 'serious face.' "Hey," the copy ninja casually said. Gai was confused at this point. He stepped back slowly, allowing Kakashi room to walk in, "Come in?"

Kakashi slowly nodded and proceeded within the proper of Gai's home. He stopped before the couch and coffee table and waited till Gai closed the door and turned to him. Kakashi turned to Gai and glanced him over before sliding down the dark navy mask. Gai blinked to this, not used to seeing Kakashi's entire face. Gai tried to act like he was fine, like he was normal again, "Is something wrong, my rival…?" Though he tried to, he couldn't fake that wide grin he used to make.

Kakashi stared Gai in the eyes for a minute before asking quietly, "How are you feeling?" He was clearly unimpressed by Gai's current appearance. Gai was taken aback by the sudden question, but was touched by the other man's sudden concern for his well-being, "I'm…fine… Why do you ask?" He did smile this time, though weakly.

Kakashi's lips tightened as he looked into Gai's smile, a fragile smile that was rarely seen in the open and would shatter like glass at the drop of a hat. He was ready, however, to argue at any twitch he saw in that smile, "You really don't look as fine as you say you are." Gai's smile faded that very instant, "But I'm fine now, truly."

Kakashi did not look away for a split second, though he longed to. Gai wasn't the masculine man he used to be. He was thin and somewhat frail from not eating, his body shaky from weakness and malnutrition.

Gai tried to hide in his sweatshirt from Kakashi's examining gaze. His voice quivered as he spoke, "I'm not saying it because it's what you want to hear, Kakashi… I am getting better, I promise you…" Kakashi studied him for a minute or two before dismissing the matter with a slight nod and pulling his mask over his face and his hitai-ate over his sharingan eye.

Kakashi was his old, hip-and-modern self again, and ironically Gai preferred him this way for the time being. He smiled nervously at his rival, "Would you like some breakfast?" Kakashi studied him silently once more, making him feel uncomfortable, "Eh… Sure." Gai turned away as if to head to the kitchen, but really it was to avoid looking into Kakashi's now blankly staring eye, "What would you like?"

He shrugged as Gai turned away from him, "Hm… Eggs would be nice… I don't care how you make them." Gai blinked at the freedom bestowed to him and mentally shrugged, "Alright." He made his way into the kitchen with Kakashi following closely behind, "Just have a seat."

As Kakashi sat down on a stool, Gai set to work at fixing Kakashi his meal. He fixed them over easy and didn't speak the entire time. Kakashi watched him from where he sat, a serious gaze that he didn't want to meet when he turned around. He could feel the dark orb of Kakashi's eye burning a hole through his back.

Once the food was finished, Gai scooped it onto a plate and set it on the counter table before Kakashi with a pair of chopsticks. "I'll fix you some tea also…" his voice trailed off as he wandered over to fix Kakashi a cup. Kakashi blinked at the weariness of Gai's voice and absently ate his food, still watching the other as he fixed his tea.

Gai sat down a while later, handing Kakashi his cup of tea and sipping his own, looking down at particularly nothing, not wanting to acknowledge Kakashi's gaze upon him. It was about ten minutes before Kakashi broke the awkward silence, "I'm sorry about yesterday. There were some things that I said in a way that wasn't appropriate."

Gai looked up almost in surprise, then smiled that glass smile again, "It's fine… I know you were just trying to look out for me." Kakashi smiled slightly underneath his mask, then scowled, "I meant what I said before I left. If you even think of trying something like that again, I'll do worse to you tenfold." Gai winced and looked away from Kakashi's piercing eye, "I'm sorry… I promise I won't."

Kakashi sighed and finished the rest of his meal and his tea while Gai took slow nervous sips. "I'm sorry too…" Gai finally said, "About… what I said… about…." Kakashi quickly interrupted, "It's fine." He stood and Gai watched him, "I'm going to head over to Tsunade-sama's office…She wanted to see me about something. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

Gai's gaze strayed from Kakashi's eye, deciding against asking of what, thus keeping Kakashi here longer than he needs to be, "Okay." Kakashi stood without a word and left the house. Gai sat there for what seemed like the longest time, his eyes closed and his mind in a silent black void of its own.

His thoughts ran aimlessly as he sat and stared at the tiled floor. His attention snapped and turned back to the window, where the ghostly form of his late student appeared previously. It was manifested once more, looking curiously out the window in some form of excitement. Gai stood and walked to the ghostly figure, longing to reach out and touch its shoulder. It turned, smiling that same smile it did before.

Another figure appeared in the kitchen, only this one was larger than the other, taller and more masculine, but was sitting on a stool at the table. It was himself, in his green jumpsuit with the red hitai-ate secured around his waist, though his vest was absent from his person. It smiled a wide grin, flashed its teeth and gave the other a thumbs up.

Gai looked away, the figures vanishing from his sight. He smiled bitterly. It would seem that Lee took Gai's brighter half to his grave, leaving nothing but an empty shell to live on. He shook his head slowly and headed back into his room. He stood there in the quiet darkness, his gaze meandering to the door that lead into his bathroom on his far left.

As soon as he entered the room of pearl marble, he leaned over and turned on the water for his shower, getting it as hot as he could stand before turning on the shower head. He quickly shed his clothes and climbed in, wincing slightly at first to the hot water pelting his skin. When he was used to it, he relaxed, letting the hot water soothe his body.

Almost on impulse, he leaned over and grabbed a washcloth outside the shower curtains on the sink counter and doused it in soap. Upon lathering it up, he scrubbed himself until his skin bled. A tiny droplet of blood hit the tub floor and washed down the drain. With tired dark eyes, he watched it smear over the textured floor, carried partially by the water as it flowed.

He lowered his head, allowing the water to drizzle on his hair and streak down like tears over his face and the back of his neck. His body ached and was sore and red from the excessive scrubbing. He rinsed his body off and proceeded to calmly soap and lather up his hair, running his fingers through each community of joined strands. He let the water rinse out his hair, leaving a soft raspberry scent.

He brought his hands over his stomach and leaned his body against the wall, his head rolling forward and his neck straining along with his shoulders to keep his head from completely hanging. He pressed his cheek against the wall and closed his eyes, feeling small streams of water race down from his nose over the wall's surface to his lips. He groaned quietly, his fingers feeling over the muscles of his abdomen. He had indeed grown thin since Lee's death. How long ago it was now, he didn't exactly know. He stopped keeping track as unconsciousness took him into its grasp more frequently.

He stayed in the shower until the water ran cold, standing there and leaning with his eyes closed, dozing off and on, occasionally snapping back to reality when a droplet of water hit him swear in the eye. He stood dripping water with his skin steaming, seemingly almost at a loss of what to do next. He lazily grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself tightly and pressing his back against the wall. He slowly dried himself and staggered out of the bathroom.

He quickly dressed himself, putting on a white t-shirt and fitting a clean gray sweatshirt over it, as well as a clean pair of navy blue pajama pants. The gloom that toiled around him drifted upward partially, having lifted some of its burden from his slightly slumped shoulders. He was somewhat happier now. He was clean and had food in his stomach.

He exited his room in slow, lengthy strides; his walking seemed more calm than normal. He stood in the doorway of his room, turning his head to his right and looking down that beige hallway. He stared at the door with unblinking eyes, his face void of any recognizable expression. It was time to open that door and look inside and face one of the fears he had left. He had nothing to lose if it just happened to be a fatal flaw. He laughed at himself, imagining a news headline reading: MAN KILLED IN HOME BY UNKNOWN CAUSE.

As he strolled down the hallway, he mentally thought over various scenarios of how he could die from just simply opening that door. _A trap could go off. A dangerous trap to keep out intruders. Or opening the door could awaken some sleeping beast. It could get mad and attack me. Or the door could be a trap itself and the minute I reach for the knob, spikes would shoot from it's surface. Or opening the door would cause a lot of exploding tags to go off._ He laughed outwardly.

He finally reached the door and looked at it for a moment before slowly reaching out a hand and latching onto the doorknob. Twisting it, he opened the door and let it sluggishly swing inward. He looked inside. The light emanating from within was soft but bright, almost heavenly. It was from the sun bearing it's warming rays through a closed curtain. The room itself consisted of boxes, small and large, closed and untouched, packed into corners and stacked casually on top of one another. He expected something scarier, but found the room more welcoming and friendly and he smiled somewhat. He left the door open as he turned and walked back down the hallway.

From a distance, he saw something strange. Part of the right wall of the hallway was missing. Though it was the first time he had noticed it, he seemed to have been there since the house was built. He narrowed his eyes as he walked towards the obstruction in the wall. A loud slam of the door behind him echoed through the house as he stopped in front of the obstruction. He jumped to the slam and looked back, his hair tousled due to his quick movements.

The door he had left open was now closed. He knew that something was wrong with that room. It was something eerie and unfamiliar. He felt a saddening hole form in his chest. Inside that room was warm and comforting, bright and golden. He sighed in defeat and pointed his attention to the obstruction in his wall.

As it seemed from a distance, it seemed as if it was another hallway branching from the original. He slowly walked into the new hallway, a feature of his house that he had never taken notice of before, assuming it had been there and he didn't pay any attention at all. He began to fight with himself. _It would make sense that it was built here and I never noticed it before…But it's not logical because I have no recollection of ever seeing it. You can't miss a hallway so obvious, and I've been down this far in this hallway many times before and…it was never there until now…_

At the end of the hallway was a plain pearl white door. It sat there at the very end, beckoning him, calling him. He continuously walked, wondering if he would ever reach the door that summoned him before it. The hallway seemed, no, felt longer than it looked. He felt strangely tired as he reached the door. At the same time, he felt uncaring, a mood that was neither bad nor good. His ears perked and he shook his head, quickly blinking his eyes before looking up above the door at the emerging sound of an electric fan.

A large circular barred encasement above the door held a set of three wings, joined together at an epicenter, spinning clockwise at a medium speed, creating a loud 'whirring' sound. Its innocent appearance held a terrible omen, but to his own surprise, he didn't care. He looked back down to the plain door. It pulled him like a magnet and he pressed his cheek against the cold surface and closed his eyes.

His arms went limp as he heard voices, soft little child-like voices whispering, their words obscured and incomprehensible. They were playful, almost cruel. He unconsciously smiled some to their sudden laughter and lifted his head up from the door and opened his eyes. The soft child-like whispers hissed in his ear and he blinked, his hands reaching up and running his fingers over his ears softly.

"_Open it! Open it! Open it!"_

He blinked as the words became clear to him. He leaned in closer to the door, perking his ears underneath his now calm hair. They hissed at him again, a childish cruelty playing on the tone of their tiny voices.

"_Open it! Open it! Open it!"_

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and rolled down his face. He looked around, hoping to see a trio of children behind him teasing him. He looked back over his shoulder and saw nothing but the barren hallway through which he previously passed. They hissed again, louder this time and somewhat more urgent.

"_Open it! Open it! Open it!"_

"_Open the door! Turn the knob! Look inside!"_

It became a ravenous chant.

"_Open the door! Turn the knob! Look inside!"_

"_Open it! Open the door! Open it! Turn the knob! Open it! Look inside!"_

He couldn't hear himself think.

"_Open the door! Open it! Turn the knob! Open it! Look inside! Open it!"_

He held his hands over his ears, wincing as the voices got higher in pitch, now almost screaming in his ears.

"_Open it! Open it! Open it! Open it! Open it! Open it!"_

He finally yelled, his eyes wide as the screams tore through his own cracking voice, "Shut up!" He grabbed the golden knob, twisting it violently and throwing open the door. The screams stopped and the slamming of the knob against the beige wall echoed quietly through the hall, reverberating and putting a slight weight on his shoulders, head and neck. He looked in through the door, seeing nothing but pitch black.

Angrily, he wiped an arm across his face, wiping off the sweat that ran down his skin. The voices were gone, and he was beginning to calm down. His breathing was regular again, but his heartbeat continued to race. It matched the whirring sound of the spinning fan above the door. He had nearly forgotten about it.

_There's nothing there. _He sighed and looked down. He blinked and blushed. The force he had inputted into the opening of the door had been so severe that the knob not only left a large dent in the wall, but also, the knob fell from the door itself. It swayed idly on the floor in front of him and he carelessly nudged it into the blackness beyond the doorway.

It rolled and dropped, aimlessly falling into the blind abyss. He watched it as far as he could see it and took a step back. _It's nothing that I particularly want to be near. I'll just go back and pretend this isn't here. _It was a pathetic move for him to make, he knew, but he didn't care.

Without reaching out to close the door, he turned back to leave. He took a few steps before his ears perked and he stopped, his eyes wide with a sudden dread and fear.

"_Gai-sensei!"_

That dreadful fear soon evaporated and solidified into a frantic joy. It was a voice that he had never been so happy to hear before in his entire life. His expression turned into a crooked smile as he pivoted and twisted back towards the door, "Lee!"

The blackness stood still yet wavered with the presence of the voice that he longed to hear. The voice didn't speak again and his smile slowly began to fade, but not all the way. "Lee…" he breathed as he slowly crept towards the abyss beyond the door. He didn't want to poke his head inside; instead he waited for the voice to call again, or better yet, say something other than his name.

"Lee…?"

"_Gai-sensei!"_

"Lee!"

He stood as close as to the darkness as he could. Lee was alive and inside this black space. He was alive! An excitement filled his heart and he could almost jump for joy. _Lee! Come out! I want to see you! _His breathing became heavy as he waited for Lee to jump out of this closet, his arms almost ready to reach out and catch the boy. Lee, however, did not come.

"Lee!" he called, "Come out!"

Lee still did not come. He was willing to believe that the boy was simply teasing him. He played the cruel joke that he was dead before, did he not? He can still tease lightly. If he could survive the old 'I'm dead' trick, then he can forgive Lee for this, right?

His smile faded completely as Lee still did not come out to greet him.

"Lee…?"

"_Gai-sensei…"_

The voice this time was stronger, but more singsong. Gai couldn't help but run his cold clammy hands over his sweatshirt, his smile now having turned into a frightful grimace. He felt strangely cold. He wanted to reach in, grab Lee's arm and haul him out and slam that door shut. His heart raced as he figured that the only thing to do was simply step inside and feel around for the boy.

He grabbed onto the doorframe and reached a leg in, feeling around the floor for a steady footing. The naked bottom of his foot felt a cold, dirty metal. It was a nasty feeling, but it was a solid floor. It scared him some, recalling the doorknob falling through the floor as if it wasn't even there. He inched himself inside the abyss, unable to see a nanometer in front of his nose.

He took a step further inside, holding his arms out and feeling around. When he was about two feet in, the door behind him slammed shut with aloud gunshot bang. Startled, he flung forward, hitting a cold, dirty wall, same as the floor beneath him, filled with tiny holes.

A small light flickered inside, revealing metal walls stained in scarlet, rust and dark grunge. The door was shut, and inside this metal cage in which he was trapped within, a metal grating slammed down from above, securing him inside the cage. That grating was secured by two thick metallic doors slamming shut together and locking.

Breathing hard, he looked around him, eyes wide and alert. He turned, pressing his back against the metal wall, beads of sweat forming once again on his forehead and streaking down his face. A nauseating feeling developed in his stomach. He was unarmed, unprotected physically, and was too malnourished to fight or defend himself.

The cage shook suddenly, causing him to jump and look down at the floor. A dim light appeared through the holes in the floor, a dim silver light that was blended with orange and red. He looked up and around through the walls, outside of the cage were larger walls, lined with cords, all of different sizes ranging from millimeter thick to half a foot in diameter.

He slid down into a sitting position. "Lee…?" he mewed, a shocked terror in his voice. This thing was in his house? It was built in his house and he never knew about it until now? The cage shook again and began to vibrate. With a high pitched screech, it began to lower, the cords above it that kept it from plummeting downward straining, letting out their pain in anguished inhuman screams.

Gai quickly brought his hands up to his ears, closing his eyes tightly, curling up on the floor of the cage, hissing to himself, _This is a dream…This is a dream…It's only a nightmare and I'm going to wake up any moment now…_

Outside of the shut door, the spinning wings of the fan began to slow and eventually come to a complete, momentary stop. It started again, but this time, spun counterclockwise, spinning faster and faster and faster than it did previously as the cage lowered down it's unearthly shaft. The loud whirring soon became a deafening siren.

The siren reached Gai's covered ears as the cage's speed down the elevator shaft rose, vibrating more violently as it's velocity rapidly increased. _This is a dream…This is a dream…It's all just a nightmare…Oh please wake up…Please wake yourself up…_

"Oh my god…" he heard himself breathe aloud, his body trembling violently against the metal grates of the floor. His body tensed, tears welling in his eyes and seeping in through the tightly shut lids and running down over his skin. The siren got louder, as well as the searing sounds of unearthly shrieks. He slumped over onto his side and curled up in a ball before letting out a terrified scream.

hr 

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3  
**

* * *

His head throbbed and his vision was blurred, one eye held shut by a thick heavy material. It was taped to his head and was soft like gauze. He looked up, his good eye half-lidded and almost blind. Through the cloudiness, he saw large white walls. His frail body was cradled and made decent by white; his pale skin and dark hair the only colored things in the room in which he was currently confined. He tiredly rolled his head about the pillow to look around, calm and uncaring. He felt strangely relaxed, as if all sorrow and pain had been washed away from his body and mind. Cabinets and drawers lined the walls, computers and machinery taking up space near the bed in which he lay and the furthermost corners from him. 

He tilted his head back, enjoying this new comfort. Thought it felt odd to be laying alone in a white room with an I.V. suck in his arm, he accepted it without further thought. He heard a light tapping in the furthermost corner of the room and turned his head to face the source of the sound. His neck was outstretched and his dark hair fell about his face and sprawled over the pillow. He made out a blurry figure, a short man with dark hair draped in a white coat.

The man turned and walked towards him. Even as the man stood right at his bedside, Gai couldn't make out his face. He did, however, presume that this was the man in charge of taking care of him. He said nothing to the doctor; only giving a weak smile. He blinked his good eye, noticing something strange about the man next to him as his vision began to clear. He had no face. About his head lay a bowl-cut mop of black hair. "Lee…?" He faintly choked.

The man twitched to the name and leaned over, planting two ghostly pale hands on either side of Gai's head, leaning his own head inward, the area where his nose should be just a nanometer away from touching Gai's own nose. Gai sunk into the mattress of the bed in which he lay, his face bearing an expression of horror and confusion. "Gai-sensei" the figure before him hissed in a sing-song tone in the same voice that he once adored but now feared.

A slit formed where the man's mouth should be, splitting open and widening into a monstrous, inhuman grin, bearing teeth, rotting flesh and blood dripping from the outer edges. It hissed louder, the incision in his faceless head growing wider, "Gai-sensei" Blood droplets dotted Gai's face, the putrid stench of rotting flesh filling his nostrils and bringing hot tears to his eyes. He tried to move his arms, but was rendered motionless. The only thing he could do now was try to talk his way out of being mutilated by this thing that was impersonating the one creature that gave him a reason to live.

"What are you…?" Gai uttered.

The thing stopped and hissed loudly, rearing its head and letting out a horrible shriek. Gai by this time, although he failed to notice it, was screaming in real terror. Its scream was getting louder and louder, becoming more like a savage squall. It turned its head to the side and arched its neck before shooting its upper torso down, its mouth wide and ready. Gai's scream became a horrified sob as his vision disappeared into the darkness of the monster's mouth.

His body jerked as it became alive with consciousness, shooting him up from the cold metal that cradled him as he had previously disconnected himself with reality. It was still covered in that same rusty blood and black colored grunge from before, some of it having smeared over his eye and gluing it shut. His body trembled with unearthly cold and was hit by a sudden wave of illness and nausea. He had been laying on his side in the same fetal position as he was before he passed out.

The metal contraption in which he was caged had stopped its seemingly eternal plummet into the depths of some unknown underworld. Slowly, he eased himself up, standing unsteadily on wobbly legs. He looked up through the holes in the ceiling, seeing nothing but silver gray pipes and cords leading up into darkness. He backed up away from the doors that kept him from going anywhere else, pressing his back up against the wall and staring up into the darkness from which he had previously fallen.

"Go back up…Please go back up…" he whispered, his eyes wide. He watched, praying to anyone that was listening that the metal box that imprisoned him would shudder and head back up to his home. His heart skipped a beat or two as the cage shook slightly, a wave of hope hitting him but quickly fading as the cage did not move. He looked towards the doors and gates as they slid open with loud rattling sounds.

He peered outside of the metallic box, seeing a wall branching off to another that was annexed to a corridor that was lined with doors. The walls were white, smudged over and smeared with black grunge and blood. The ceiling crawled with vines of rotting matter just as the floor was cracked and crusted with dried blood and rust. Small bits of flesh lined the bottom edges of the walls where they were annexed to the floor, all of which were either rotting or fresh and gleaming with bright scarlet.

Gai could barely crawl out of his temporary prison, the odor that dwelled in the air causing his stomach to churn and his face to twist into a painful grimace. He held himself against the cleaner portions of the wall, looking over the floor and the ceiling and shivering with a growing feeling of impending doom in his stomach. He inched himself away from the metal cage as the clean parts of the wall would allow him, jumping a second later as the doors of the cage slammed shut and it was hauled back up with a loud roar. He turned his head towards the area from which he had emerged and blinked, watching it soar up from whence it brought him.

"No! Wait!" he choked, running back to where the cage had been. "Don't leave me here! Please! Come back!" He cried out into the blackness of the shaft. He turned slowly back towards the pulsating scene that now lay before him, letting out deep moans from within the dark hallways that branched from the main corridor in which he was currently standing. "Oh my god…" he breathed as he pressed his back against the wall, the light disappearing along with the cage.

_I should have just slit my throat right then and there…_

He tilted his head back and closed his eyes tightly, aching whimpers pouring from his throat as the light that illuminated the hallways dimmed. He could barely see his nose in front of his face when he then opened his eyes. _Well, I can't just stay here… _He looked up the shaft and blinked, wondering if he could simply climb his way back up. Carefully, he backed away from the shaft. He readied himself, silently hoping that he had some bit of chakra left within him to last him until he reached the surface.

He bent his knees and got ready, biting down on his lip before quickly sprinting forward and leaping up to plant the dirty bare bottoms of his feet against the rough shaft wall. He barely made it about an inch before he slipped and landed on his feet back on the ground and ultimately collapsing onto his bottom. Hopelessly he looked up the shaft, into the darkness. _I don't even have enough chakra to keep myself on the wall…_ Frustrated, he stood and turned back towards the corridor.

Absently, he mumbled, "Nowhere to go but forward…" Quietly, he moved, going to the nearest door he could see and grabbing onto the doorknob. He shook it quickly before turning it and carefully opening the door. He poked his head inside, moaning to more darkness. He reached in an arm, feeling along the wall for anything. He found a switch and poked at it before flicking it, a dim light illuminating the space inside. He slithered in and shut the door behind him.

There was nothing in the room but a few metal shelves holding boxes, crates and the like, most of which full of cleaning materials. The walls were smeared in blood, the corners darkened with dirt and grunge. He moved further in, watching the walls with wide eyes. He gasped loudly, startled as something hard caught his foot and tripped him. He caught himself against one of the metal shelves, causing the fall and crash of a few small items from the shelf to the floor.

He looked down at the items, one being a small flashlight and the other being a radio. There were other things, such as an empty canteen for water, a bottle of cleaning fluid and a pocket knife. He reached down slowly, carefully, for the flashlight. Flicking it on, he looked into the light briefly before clicking it off. The radio on the floor buzzed and emitted white noise. He reached down and picked it up, looking it over. _Is it broken…? _He cocked his head to the side, deciding it would probably be best to keep it and slipped it in the pocket of his pajama pants. Seeing nothing else of use, he left the room and shut the door behind him.

Looking down the north end of the corridor, he flicked on the flashlight and held it shakily in one hand. As he looked into the slightly illuminated abyss, he felt a hole of hopelessness burn in his stomach. He was trapped in a hellish otherworld and he couldn't go back even if he put all the effort he could muster into it. Sighing heavily, he pushed forward into the darkness of the hallway, trying doors along the way, all of which were either locked or the doorknobs and locks here broken.

As he cautiously moved further into the hallway, the light from the flashlight giving him some idea of where he was going, he slowed, the white noise coming from the radio intensifying and growing louder as he moved. He slowed, shining the flashlight over the hallway before him and stopping, seeing small twitching bodies skitter across the floor with the light tapping of pointed claws of padded feet. They moaned deeply as they moved, as if they suffered from a throbbing pain, their groans accompanied by low, hissing growls and dripping sounds of a viscous fluid.

He stood there motionless as he shined the light directly on the bodies before him, revealing four dog like creatures, all of which missing their lower jaws with long black tongues hanging down and trailing along the bloodstained floor. Their black heads hung low and their nostrils flared, their tongues leaving lines of saliva along the floor, steaming with acid that burned through the marble tiles, leaving blackened decaying material.

He froze as their glowing eyes were caught by the light. They rose their heads, their growling getting louder as they sniffed the air. They neared, their limbs twitching with each step they took. They mean to cause him harm.

Gai's throat tightened as he watched them with an unfaltering gaze. His human instinct told him to run the opposite direction, but his experience as a ninja kept him from moving. He stood his ground, hoping that doing so would intimidate them and cause them to back down and leave him be. His tactic was unsuccessful, however. They could smell his fear emanating like smoke from a flame.

He flinched at his failure. He began to back away as the deformed dogs before him began to lumber and stagger towards him. Despite how he longed to, he couldn't fight. Malnutrition was taking its toll and his chakra had been depleted severely because of it. He gritted his teeth, feeling his legs move in a frenzy, pushing him past the dogs even as they lunged and scratched and cut at him with their nails, causing him to leave a small trail of blood droplets on the floor through the hall as he frantically sprinted.

The white noise coming from the radio calmed as he gained distance between himself and the canines, which relieved him somewhat. Despite this, however, he kept running, heading through the dark hallway that was barely illuminated by the flashlight. At the far end was a door with a large EXIT sign above it. He burst through the door and shut it quickly behind him.

Before him beyond the door, there was nothing. The floor was violently cut off, seemingly ripped from it's foundation, which was replaced by a giant hole that lead up and down to nowhere. In the middle of the large hole hung a blood soaked rope of chain, rusted links that clinked gently as the rope swayed in the nonexistent wind. Soft sighs, moans and gurgles emitted from the hole, as well as a terrifying silence that would have driven any man who was a man to jump into the hole and fall to his death. Gai, however, would rather die in a more peaceful setting.

He pressed himself against a door, a large one at that, larger than the one he had previously shut; it was part of a pair. Looking up, he noticed a broken sign above the two doors that read "LOTZA TOYZ." The glass windows were cracked but were blackened and boarded, preventing him from taking a peek inside. He didn't expect anything beyond there being any toys in a toy store, so it didn't particularly matter to him, despite the soft hissing of the radio in his pocket.

He looked around, seeing paths blocked off left and right by metal stretchers, chrome hidden underneath a scarlet grungy rust. They were mounted by lumpy heaps, covered by white sheets that were smeared with scarlet and amber. He slowly inched closer to his right, his path beyond a few meters blocked by the stretchers. He blinked his eyes hard a few times as he shined the light on the heaps. Realization hit and his eyes widened as color drained from his face.

_What are these doing here!? This…This isn't a hospital…!_

He covered his mouth and nose, only imagining what the heaps underneath the blankets must look like. Not wanting to question any further, he looked away, struggling to breathe and tightly closing his eyes. The radio was silently hissing in his pocket once more as he inched away from the stretchers to the double doors of the toy store. Quickly, he latched his hand on a handle and pulled the door open, creeping inside.

The radio by this time was growling, radiating a mechanized hiss and forced him to immediately raise his flashlight and shine it frantically around the room. Toys, of all shapes, sizes and fabrications were lined up on dusty broken shelves. They were bleeding from their smiling mouths, some drenched in scarlet from decapitation and other's dismembered and mutilated beyond recognition. Most of which were sitting in upright and slightly slumped positions, all looking at him and smiling.

The walls were dark blue and covered in streaks of dark brownish crimson, though were not as decayed and decrepit as the walls from outside the store and beyond. He kept to the entrance of the store searching the wall on the opposite end of the room for a second door. Much to his relief, there was one, but it was black and covered in rust. It made him cringe, but the hope that it would lead him back to his warm comfortable home kept him from turning back.

He slowly made his way to the door, tears coming to his eyes as his naked feet soiled themselves in squishy, cold, moist material, knowing in his heart, without having to look down, that it was bleeding flesh. What being it used to be, he didn't know, or care to know for that matter.

It was only a matter of time before Gai found himself before the door behind the cashier counter. He looked over the door, starting to have second thoughts and doubting, by its appearance, that it would take him back home. He touched the knob, shaking it gently before starting to turn it.

The white noise of the little radio blared as thin, clammy claws wrapped around Gai's bare ankles, causing him to jump and stumble backwards, aimlessly kicking at whatever it was that grabbed him. He slammed against the wall, letting out a cry of terror as he looked down to see what was grabbing him. Thin straggly arms reached up his sweatshirt, and grabbed at him, pulling and dragging him down to the ground. They screamed with mouth-less heads, squeals and child-like cries filling the air as they emerged from beneath the counter and latched onto his legs and lower body, scratching him with claws and blood soaked knives.

Gai was now screaming, struggling and wrestling to get the little things off of him, his arms flailing and grabbing onto the edge of the counter and the wall behind him. They weighed him down and before he knew it, he was on his back with them crawling on top of him, ripping at his sweatshirt and clawing his skin. With a loud wail of protest, he slapped one away with the swing of his arm, gathering the strength to latch onto the counter and pull himself up, kicking and wrestling them off of him.

Quickly, he grabbed onto the rusted knob of the door and twisted it, swinging the door open and thrusting himself inside, a tiny hand still clutched to his ankle. After pulling himself through the door, he slammed it shut, severing the little arm from the body to which it belonged, the monster on the other side of the door screaming with a high pitched voice as blood spilled onto the floor and stained it.

He stood back from the door, covering his ears with his hands in response to the loud howling. The wailing was soon drowned out by a loud whirring sound coming from way back behind him. He relieved his hands from shielding his ears and turned to face a new hallway; the walls of this one being clean and beige, a strange familiar beige color that he knew he had seen before.

The whirring came at the end of the hallway and he followed the sound, his hopes jumping slightly. _These walls… _He looked over the walls as he walked, so nice and clean, the only filth was left in thick footprints left by his dirtied feet. At the end of the hallway, there was another rotating electric fan. The wings of the fan were rotating counterclockwise. Beneath it was a door, clean and spotless.

He looked up at the electric fan and looked down at the door, reaching out to gently touch it, smiling wearily to its smooth surface against his sticky fingertips. _You're real…right? _He smiled at the door tiredly, grabbing onto the golden doorknob and twisting it, turning it slowly and opening the door. Beyond the door, there was again, nothing but blackness.

His smile quickly faded as he stared into the abyss. He looked over his shoulder, not wanting to go back to the little child-like monsters that tried to smother him. He turned his gaze back to the darkness and heaved a whimpering sigh as he carefully edged his way in.

Once he was inside, his eyes were closed and he was reaching outward with his arms extended. He was then startled by the loud slamming of the door behind him and the sudden clicking and twisting of gears and locks, securing him inside. The room into which he had wandered was slightly illuminated by a candle, hidden behind what looked to be a body hanging from the ceiling, upside down in a cross position; legs tied together and arms outstretched and secured.

It was hung and bound by barbed wires, a wiry rope wrapped tightly around its neck like a noose. Its head was tilted back, face pointed towards the floor with lips slightly parted. The body itself was covered in dust and grunge, wrapped tightly by barbed wires and ropes, large rusted nails sticking out of its wrists, neck and ankles.

Blood dripped from its face, most notably from its nose, mouth and ears. Below it was a large circular emblem, one he did not recognize. Within it was a smaller circle, the northern end between the two circles marked by a large primitive eye which branched off into foreign hieroglyphics. Within the smaller circle were three smaller circles, along with Hungarian runes. It was painted in scarlet, presumably blood, and below it read "Halo of the Sun," painted in the same material as the symbol itself.

Beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead and streamed carelessly down his face as he examined the hanging body further. The skin was pale and grayish, while underneath the grunge was a dirty green, ripped and torn in different random places all throughout, revealing more of the dusty pale skin that lay underneath, rotting and decrepit.

The hair that hung low from the head was stringy, dry and dead, a black color radiating a dusty gray. Gai pressed himself against the door, his eyes shooting back to the green that covered the body. It was one piece, just like the ones he used to wear.

The wire that bound the body began to sway and moan. The body itself began to twitch as the walls of the room seemed to become alive, pulsating and glowering a pale, orangey, fleshy color. It got lighter in the room as the walls began to pulsate and the sound of a beating heart grew audible and increased in volume. The walls left and right of the body read in bright scarlet: HE WHO DEFIES GOD SHALL BE THROWN INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.

The body itself was clearly visible to him now, and he pressed himself back against the wall, his eyes wide and his face snowy white. The body's legs twitched and swayed, gleaming a light orange and green before ripping themselves down, feet landing hard on the floor beneath it. A choked, heated growl seeped its way out the body's gaping mouth as it brought its upper torso up into a stand, ripping the barbed wire that held its arms out straight from the walls.

It stood tall and turned around, its legs wobbly and its balance unstable. It faced him, its mouth closing slightly and its head lowering. Its face creased and its mouth widened again, heaving a shrill, bloodcurdling shriek. It slowly moved towards him, its tattered body causing green fabric to rustle against an olive green vest.

Gai pressed himself against the wall, unable to peal his eyes off the walking corpse's thick dark eyebrows. He jumped as the thing before him twitch in surprise, the Halo of the Sun on the floor behind it lowering into the ground on a large circular platform and disappearing, orange and yellow flames swallowing it and roaring quietly in its pit.

The walking corpse stopped and reached a twisted broken arm behind its back, drawing a long thin kunai before creeping closer, its legs stiff and limping, cracking as they bent at the knees. It hissed and growled in an unearthly voice that was somehow parallel to his own as it moved.

He was unable to comprehend all that he saw before him. All of the experience he had as a ninja and his instinct to match was washed away as he watched this facsimile of himself stagger towards him with a weapon. He tried to think, all the while watching the corpse's movements and flinching now and then as the splints of the barbed wire that was wrapped tightly around it pierced its rotting skin with each step it took.

_If you don't move, you're going to die…_

When it was no less than three feet in front of him, he slumped against the wall, staring with wide, hopeless eyes. It raised the kunai with a trembling arm and screeched, its head rolling back in the weakness of its neck, thin and strangled by the wiry noose.

Gai heard the painful scream of piercing metal as he darted from beneath the thing that threatened his life, making a quick dash and stopping close to the cauldron of fire. The heat radiating from the fire caused his skin to redden and grow hot, droplets of sweat forming on his forehead as he struggled to get himself together enough to think of a plan.

He stared with half-lidded eyes and lifted an arm up to wipe sweat from his face, glancing now and then from the walking corpse to the pool of flames beside him. It came towards him, gasping and moaning in its pain and reaching for his neck, latching onto delicate flesh and squeezing with unearthly strength. Gai choked and grabbed onto the bony wrist, staring at the gray face, its eyes covered by a tattered cloth that was tightly wrapped around its head.

It hissed and gurgled, baring teeth that seemed to have been sharpened into thick points, sharp enough to cut when bitten, yet dull enough to cause excruciating pain. With a loud growl, it rose its arm, aiming the kunai and reading its downward plunge. Gai, with his eyes full of fear, faintly growled back, pushing against the corpse with a grunt of effort, raising an arm to latch onto the wrist that held the kunai.

It struggled and grunted, making soft, painful hisses as it wrestled to pry its wrist from Gai's defensive grasp. The monster's hold on Gai's neck loosened, allowing Gai to yank its bony hand from his skin, shoving the thing back away from him yet still holding onto its wrist. It growled angrily and swerved, pinning itself between Gai and the pit of fire.

Gai's eyes widened as he struggled to regain his balance and grab for the kunai at the same time. He grabbed at the blade, yanking the weapon from the corpse's hand and cutting his own palm in the process. Almost quicker than he could have processed, he flipped the blade and wrapped his fingers around the thin metal hilt and shoved the blade up through the monster's throat, causing it to freeze and slowly lower its arms.

It stood still for a minute and the only thing Gai could hear then was his own racing heartbeat. He stared at the thing's face, breathing hard and holding onto the hilt of the kunai with his trembling hands. It twitched and snarled, startling him and causing him to violently push back on it, shoving it roughly into the cauldron of fire.

Flames caught it and devoured at its decomposed flesh, causing it to unleash loud, terrible screams, cries of agony and hatred. It thrashed and flopped like a fish on land as it burned, holding an unscathed arm up into the air as if to beg for forgiveness from a great deity above. Its screams soon changed to cries and painful sobs, an unearthly sound that made Gai cringe and want to cover his ears.

He looked down at his feet for a moment before quietly making his way to the cauldron in which the creature burned and reached over, grabbing lightly onto the desperate hand. Dead fingers wrapped tightly around his hand, holding on for dear life. The cries quieted to whimpers before dying out completely. A moment later, the sharp, choked, dying gasp escaped its lips and the weight of its arm pulled down on Gai's hand.

Gai, with what strength he had left after the ordeal, held up the limp limb before gently dropping it to burn with the rest of the body. He stood back and watched, his face calm and tired. "Congratulations," piped a small voice, causing him to jump and turn around with a sharp gasp.

A small girl stood before him now, about four feet tall and dressed in a dark blue dress with a black tie hanging down from a white collar that poked up from underneath the blue fabric. Her feet were covered and protected by black buckled shoes and white stockings that crept up her legs about halfway before her knees. Her hair was shoulder length and black, while her skin was pale and her eyes pierced his dark ones with glowering brown orbs.

She looked at him with a blank expression, her lips tight and her hands held behind her back. Her clothes were spotlessly clean; this feature of hers he envied so.

"Who are you?" Gai breathed, trying to calm himself.

She smiled, "Who's to say?"

"What…? Where is this place? How did you get here?"

"That's for you to decide, I'm afraid," she replied gently, clicking the heel of her shoe against the floor.

Gai, at this point, was getting frustrated, "What now? What's your name?"

The girl sighed, her tiny smile fading, "Alessa."

Gai smiled slightly in relief, "Alessa…how old are you? Why are you here?"

Alessa grinned, almost wickedly, "Older than you. I'm here because…well…" She turned around, crossing her arms across her chest. Gai blinked, "Well, what?" She looked at him over her shoulder, "He wanted me to come."

"He? Who's 'he'?"

Alessa motioned towards the still body burning in the fire, "That poor man right there." Gai looked back at the corpse, "Poor man? That monster? That…that…" Gai was a at loss for words.

"Yes. You scared him. That's why he attacked you. And he's not a monster," she turned towards him, baring an expression of irritation. "What do you mean, 'he's not a monster'? Look at him!" Gai motioned violently towards the charred corpse.

Alessa glared, "He wasn't a monster…Until you stabbed him in the neck. Then, at that very moment, he became a frantic sinner." Gai looked back at the girl, his expression a mixture of fear, aggravation and sadness. She then smiled, "Don't be sad. He lived a great life until the end." Gai turned his back on the girl, staring into the flames, "I don't understand any of this. Where is this place? Why am I here?" Alessa became serious but calm, "You understand it perfectly, you just can't comprehend it because it hit you so suddenly."

Gai lowered his head and closed his eyes, forgetting all the pain in his body, "I just want to go home…" Alessa shook her head slowly before looking away, "I'm afraid that's not possible, not just yet." She looked back up at him, "Take a nap…You look bushed." Gai heaved a deep, choked sigh and closed his eyes. Alessa sighed also, though more softly, and raised a hand and let it fall to her side. Her skin began to blacken and bleed, transmuting into charred flesh. She watched him with careful eyes, her body changing as his body collapsed heavily. She frowned sadly as her body withered away, "My obsession is now yours…"

The room became silent.

"Forgive me."

* * *

**End of Chapter 3 **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he looked down from the door of Gai's home. Although he knew it was necessary, he regretted being hard on Gai and invading his space like he was. Despite the circumstances that pertained to Lee's death, he was shocked that Gai would think of attempting such an atrocity as suicide. Because of this, he felt like he had to keep his eye on the other man constantly until he was absolutely certain that Gai was well again. His recent visit had been awkward, mainly because Gai emitted an aura that instinctively told him that his presence was no longer desired. He was sure that this time would be no different.

He knocked placidly on the door and waited, listening for a faint, "Come in," or footsteps coming to answer his universal request to enter. Almost unsurprisingly to him to him, there was neither of the two. Only an eerie silence moaned from within the still, unmoving house. He knocked again and waited, only to be met with the same previous result. His eye strayed up from the ground to the floor. Perhaps Gai wasn't home? Then again, where else would he have to go? He might have gone to the memorial, but Kakashi really couldn't picture the other man doing so.

Sighing, he latched his hand onto the doorknob and turned it, creaking the door open and stepping inside. Shutting the door behind him, he looked around. It was quiet, almost ghostly and foreboding. This irritated him and he called out Gai's name, more to break the silence rather than to summon his fellow Jounin. His call went unanswered and he frowned. _If Gai's front door was unlocked, then he must be here…_ He called again and received only silence. Perhaps he's in the shower? Kakashi listened for sprinkling water, but heard none. He headed through the living room to the kitchen and turned into Gai's sleeping space. The bathroom door was open and the light was off. Kakashi lowered his head and looked away.

Gai had to be somewhere in the house. He'll check under every piece of furniture and every crack and crevice if he had to in order to find him. After searching for about thirty minutes, he growled. _Where's Neji and his Byakugan when you needed them…_ Kakashi wandered around silently, staring with his Sharingan activated, his frown deepening as he searched.

He noticed the door at the end of the beige hallway and blinked, staring at the door, concentrating on its features and observing just how tightly it was shut. He shook his head and calmly encroached the door at the end of the beige hallway The air soon, as he walked, grew thin and silent, the only sound throbbing in Kakashi's ears being that of his own, heavily racing heartbeat. He became uneasy as he stopped before the door, his thin brows curling upwards in a whimpering reluctance as his hand reached and twisted the knob and swung the door open.

The thumping in his heart went silent as he peered inside. It was dark and dusty, coming across to Kakashi as merely a mediocre storage room that Gai paid little to no attention to. Again, the room was naked of Gai's presence, silent and empty with an airy presence that was ghostly, a presence that seemingly neglected no part of Gai's house. In disbelieving irritation, Kakashi dragged himself out of the room and hauled its door to a quiet, firm close.

His head ached more than it probably should have. Throbbing pain pulsated through his forehead to his eyes like shockwaves, screaming in miserable protest as his eyelids were pried open by twitching muscle and unstable willpower. He let out a soft, painful moan, closing his eyes and draping an arm over his face. His fingers twitched, his calloused palm feeling the light scrap of cloth as it moved, cloth that was dry and crusted and smelled of rancid scarlet.

He opened his eyes, dark exhausted orbs staring up at his dirt covered arm, bruised black and green from previous incidents. He let his arm slink down and dangle against the cold bar of the old wheelchair in which he sat. He tilted his head back, his dark hair hanging loosely, heavily, about his neck. The air around him was lukewarm and light, giving him a sort of comfort as he silently sat there.

Gai brought his arms up and rested them upon the cold metal bars of the wheelchair, gripping them with his crudely bandaged hands. Opening his eyes, he looked around, his eyes half-lidded and lazy as they gazed over the rows and rows of small school desks. The wall behind him was lined with windows, cracked and boarded up by wooden planks; covered messily yet allowing gentle light to pour in through small neglected crevices. On his right lay a large, separate desk, most likely for a teacher; on his left, a wall that held a large green board in place.

He sat up, looking over the wooden desks, crooked and unevenly placed in their rows. They were covered in dust and cobwebs, along with small spider webs that had been abandoned by their previous creators. He narrowed his eyes, looking over the desks and glancing at the boarded windows as he slowly stood. _I don't remember there being any abandoned schools in Konoha… Where is this…?_ He looked over at the boarded windows and his heart sank. He quietly made his way to a window and peered outside through an open crack.

All of what he could make out through the thick fog were buildings, mostly smaller than the one he stood in now and some bigger than those. It was quiet and still, unmoving with the passage of time. He felt a huge wave of relief pass through his chest despite the fact that the area in which he stood was indeed not Konoha. What struck him the most was the fact that there was light, natural light, from the sun. It peered through thick gray clouds and drove beings that should not exist on this plane of reality away.

He shivered and backed away, bringing his hands up to his stomach and holding them against the cloth of his bloodied sweatshirt. He stumbled and gave a startled yelp, his upper body twisting and his arms flailing outward to catch himself against the broad surface of a desk. He had forgotten they were there and heaved a little sigh, trying to calm himself as he looked from the desk to decorated walls. They were covered in messily colored paper bag puppets, with one in the middle stuck with a large nail through its forehead and chest and splattered with red and black paint. Underneath the vandalized puppet was the word painted in bold black letters: **WITCH**.

"Witch…" he echoed in a whisper, his eyes darting over the messily painted letters. Carefully, not taking his eyes off of the word painted on the wall, he made his way over to it, gently placing his fingertips over the textured surface, reading a name on the puppet itself written in a child's handwriting. He read it aloud to himself without thinking, "Alessa." He blinked, looking down at his feet, his eyes staring at nothing in particular as he mentally took the name apart and examined every intricate detail that came to mind when he silently repeated the word over and over.

_The girl…her name was Alessa. Right? She said her name was… Alessa._

His head began to ache once more, the pain having faded before when he looked out the window, but now returning with his effort to remember events prior to present time. _What happened…? Did I fall asleep…? _He looked down at the floor and closed his eyes, a hand raising to plant the palm firmly against his forehead. Flashing images of the facsimile of himself presented themselves before his mind's eye, as well as remembrance of the painful fear he had felt when realization of the being's identity hit him like a large shuriken.

"Maybe if I find her again…" he said aloud, "I'll be able to go home…" He looked up again, frowning sadly, remembering feeling the chakra that flowed from the hand of the dying thing in the pool of fire, chakra that presented feelings of hatred, anger, sadness and fear. It was afraid, terrified, to die. Yet at the same time, release from life was all that it wanted, and what a painful release it was. It burned and screamed, begging him to put the fire out. Its screams went without translation and Gai watched it suffer till the very end when breath was nonexistent between its gaping lips.

He felt his eyes brim over but the tears didn't come. Instead, he hardened his sadness and furrowed his thick eyebrows and turned to the door. "I'll find her…" he uttered as he headed to the door. The door was closed tightly and was painted a hue different than that of the walls, which were a bright creamy pink, whereas the door was perfectly white. Upon the door below a small, boarded up window was an inscription. It read "**How I see fit your actions become; though the angels watch, in yonder time dream and sleep with your soul in mind, thus life and death determined in mine eye, through which they see you reborn**."

He remained silent as he read the inscription over and over again, but finding no significant clue to it that ultimately concerned the whereabouts of the Alessa girl. He read it once more before sighing softly, "Whatever happens to me is being governed…And others are watching every event take place…" he said softly, unblinking. He remained silent for a while before opening the door, "What a bunch of malarkey…" and stepping outside.

He stood outside the door in the old, decrepit hallway. The walls were lined with rips of white-ish cream wallpaper, dirty and decaying due to age. Though it spooked Gai a little when he looked around, it wasn't anything at all like the nightmare he had previously experienced. The floors were lined with dirt and rotting vegetation that had crept its vines up through crevices and slithered through the wooden planks.

A sharp, sudden burst of racing footsteps sounded down the hallway, drawing Gai's attention for a split second, turning his head in direction of the sound and causing his feet to thrust him forward in a dash. It was the sound of little blue sandals in a recognizable frequency.

"Lee!" he cried out, racing down the hallway and making a sharp right turn, following the sound of racing footsteps. "Lee! Wait!" he cried out again, following the footsteps the best he could. His chakra was still incredibly low, possibly even more so than before he passed out. His body ached incredulously, the effort he made into running as fast as he was using up what little energy he had left.

Time came when he simply had to stop. He cursed himself, tears of frustration welling up in his eyes. "Lee!" he yelled as he sucked in lungfuls of air. His chest hurt then, and he spat at the floor, whimpering in disgust, frustration and anger. "Lee, wait…" he moaned in a choked voice. The footsteps grew quieter until they stopped, followed by an abrupt slamming of a door. He quietly walked down the hallway, taking his time, very well knowing that if he tried to run so excessively once more that he was liable to dry heave.

His eyes were wide with hopeful anticipation as he followed the path through hallways lined with tiny lockers in the walls until he came to the source of the door-slamming. It was a restroom for girls, the door splashed with pink paint that was peeling to reveal a dirty beige slab of metal. No restroom for boys was in sight and he blinked, "Lee…?" Could his late pupil really flee into a restroom for the opposite sex? Perhaps it wasn't his late pupil but that Alessa girl? Nevertheless, he had to follow. Silently, he pushed himself through the door.

He froze and pressed himself tightly back up against the door after it shut, a deep, horrifying silence filling his ears as all he saw was that same nightmarish black with glints of scarlet and patches of bright, dead-fleshy white. The stalls were ruined, splattered with dried, rusted blood and the doors unhinged. The floor was polished with fresh crimson, glowering brightly underneath the rays of a nonexistent light source.

Quickly turning, he grabbed the handle of the door, pushing, pulling, struggling to wrestle the door open. "Open… open please…!" he hissed, begging with all the fears swelling up in his ribcage. "Please don't lock me in here… please let me out…" he pleaded, pushing all of his weight against the door. A soft, rapid breathing echoed throughout the bathroom, followed by a choked, "Gai-sensei…!"

He shot his head around, staring at the stalls, "Lee…?" His heart was racing, small beads of sweat forming over his face and streaking gently down and causing his creased features to glisten. "Gai-sensei…!" the voice whispered again. He gasped, "Lee…! Is it really you…?" Gai inched towards the wreckage of bathroom stalls, almost daring himself to look inside for longer than he already was as he peeked in each one that was open. The middlemost stall door was closed and stuck. He gently knocked and waited, receiving a quick, jittery knocking in response. "Lee…" he breathed in whisper, "Come out…? Please…?" There was no reply, but a loud bodily collapse, followed by a messy thud of flesh hitting porcelain, much like the sound of an exploding watermelon.

"Lee!" Gai cried out in panic, scooting back and kicking the door open, the force of his kick cracking it into two, but opening it nonetheless. Due to the amount of force he applied to the kick, his ankle and calf throbbed, causing him to wince and tightly close his eyes as he gently lowered his leg to the floor, planting the calloused bottom of his foot on the messy floor. When he opened his eyes, he peered into the stall, squinting at first before opening them widely, his face going pale, "Lee!"

Over the walls, the toilet and the floor, bright fresh scarlet was splattered. On the wall behind the toilet was written a phrase, above the rusted grungy pipes, the letters seeming to have been written by a child's finger: "Paint your hands and face in the Masque of the Red Death!" Underneath the passage were messy arrows pointing down into the toilet bowl.

Gai held his hands over his mouth and nose, unable to blink or take his eyes off the crimson fluid. The toilet bowl was filled with it, with small traces of amber and bits of flesh. He inched closer, despite the voice in the back of his head begging for him to stay away. He knew he should listen to the little voice and cried for himself to do so and leave the room, but gut instinct as a ninja drove him forward.

The smell was absolutely unbearable. The stench of blood and rotting human flesh brought tears to his eyes and a burning sensation to his throat. He stood over the toilet, looking into the bowl, the white cauldron of a sticky crimson soup. Small whispers filled his ears and the tears streamed down his face.

"_Put your hand inside! Put it in!"_

He mentally refused, slowly shaking his head as he continued to look inside. Something floated up to the surface, a thick, rough cloth attached to a chrome metallic slab. The voices intensified their chant in his ears, hissing, giggly little voices that taunted and teased him. The chrome slab exposed its surface to the ceiling, upon it carved the symbol that identified the Hidden Leaf Village. It was defaced by three violent scratches. The cloth around it was bloodied and dirtied, its color matching the scarlet pigment in which it was covered. Gai struggled to stifle a sob brought on by the cruelty of it all.

"_Put your hand inside! Put it in! Take it out! Put it on!"_

With a trembling hand, he slowly reached a hand in the bowl, letting out a painful sob as he dipped his hand in the cold blood, grabbing onto the hitai-ate and quickly pulling it out. He shot himself away, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his back hit the wall and he hunched forward, choking as he spilled inner contents all over the tiled floor.

At that instant the voices had stopped, the only sound that echoed throughout the restroom being that of Gai's choking lurches and the splashes of vomit hitting the floor. He eased himself up once he was finished, turning around and pressing the side of his face against the wall, welcoming the new smell. It was normal, human, expected. It comforted him. He looked down at the hitai-ate in his hands, not bothering to wipe his mouth with his either of his arms. His eyes welled up with tears once more and he sobbed against the wall, "Lee…"

He held it against his chest, the blood smearing over his sweatshirt. His sobs were silenced by breathlessness, his eyes tightly closed as he slid down into a sitting position, his knees aching. Memories were reborn in his mind, flashes of Lee in the body bag at the hospital painting themselves over a rust-colored canvas. He dropped the hitai-ate in his lap and bawled into his arms, curling up helplessly as he felt the pain of his soul dying all over again.

Tenten stared off at the tree in front of her, her eyes lifeless yet thoughtful as they stared through the dummy pinned to the bark, its targets scarcely covered in kunai and shuriken. She had ceased throwing her tools for some while and she ignored Neji's continual attempts to snap her out of her trance. It was dark, what little light that poured in through a cloudy sky blocked off by the canopy of the forest in which she and Neji were currently training.

Tenten never before thought of a teammate of hers dying under any circumstances and it pained her at how much it was hurting her, both inside and out. Although she accepted Lee's death and agreed with herself to move on in honor of his memory, she still couldn't find it to be a reality. Lee, dead? It just didn't seem possible. At least to her, it didn't.

A hot whizzing sound in the leaves of a thrown kunai howled in her ears and brought her out of her spell, snapping her back to reality as she shot her head towards the weapon flying at her. "Ahh!" she yelped, grabbing a kunai from her pocket and deflecting the other in a sloppy parry. She stared at the other kunai as it ricocheted away from her and landed in the grass. It came from the trees, so she directed her attention there. Neji was perched on a branch, an irritated look on his face.

She flinched and frowned sadly, "I'm sorry…" Neji sighed and closed is eyes, "It's fine… Please, Tenten, take your mind off of it… It's not going to do you any good to keep dwelling on it. It's not professional and it's not healthy." Tenten looked away from him, back at the dummy, "I can't." She bit down hard on her lip and narrowed her eyes, feeling her bottom lip tremble against her teeth, "I just can't."

Neji looked at her in understanding bewilderment. Although it seemed less likely to everyone else, he too was surprised by Lee's death. He didn't particularly care much for the other boy, but his death outside of battle was something he couldn't have foreseen. He observed, also, that it took a huge effect on their sensei, considering the last time he saw him, the man was on the verge of a mental break down. Neji closed his eyes and pressed the side of his head against the bark of the tree in which he was perched.

Gai was slow to raise his head from his arms, his face red and his eyes puffy from tears. He was silent and calm now, ready to leave the restroom. Slowly he stood, carefully positioning his feet as he stepped out. He was exhausted and found himself silently begging for sleep. The outside hallways beyond the restroom door had changed, matching the interior of the room from which he just exited. It didn't surprise him in the least, but it did frighten him, a little.

"Who is creating all this… What kind of person would establish such a hellish place… Is this even real…?" he whispered hoarsely, clutching the hitai-ate to his chest. The hallways were slightly illuminated, allowing him to move down without having to feel around the walls. He walked slowly, feeling cold and vulnerable in his current state.

An icy silence filled the hallways, drowning out the moans and sighs as a nasty, bloody clank sounded and echoed through the air. He stopped and jerked his head around, his eyes wide with anticipation. Low steps of a lumbering thing reached his ears and he looked back over his shoulder. He turned and waited, watching the darkness as the limping footsteps grew louder and louder, getting closer to him with every heartbeat.

Heated grunts and moans filled the hallway, as well as the scraping of metal against tile, all of which accompanied the footsteps. He slowly backed away, a tall figure slinking before him, its head shielded over by a large scarlet pyramid shaped helmet. It's body was draped in what looked like a white executioner's robe stained in blood. It's right arm was pulled back behind it, its large hand clenching the hilt of a large blade which dragged across the floor lazily as it moved.

"Who are you…" Gai breathed, his heart rate increasing as fear built up and swelled in his chest, "What are you…?" He backed away more, watching almost helplessly as the figure stopped and swayed slightly. He froze, feeling as if invisible eyes were examining him, staring down his body almost hungrily. Faster than he could have anticipated, the masculine figure reached forward with its free hand, grabbing onto his sweatshirt, evoking a terrified wail from Gai's mouth, followed by violent tugs from the frightened ninja.

He pulled back with what might he had left, whimpering in horrified protest. The figure made with a violent yank, the cloth of Gai's sweatshirt ripping, splitting in half and sending him to the floor with a hard thud. The figure almost growled with irritation, lifting the article of clothing up and examining it before tossing it to the floor. While the thing was occupied, Gai forced himself to his feet and jolted away down the hall, his heart racing. _Don't look back… Don't look back…_ At the end of the hallway was a set of doors, the windows blackened and covered.

He quickly tied the hitai-ate around his waist and held his arms out with palms bare. Where these doors would lead him he cared not, as long as it was away from the faceless man that ruined his favorite sweatshirt. He burst through the doors with eyes closed and slammed the doors closed behind him. He breathed deeply, counting slowly to three before opening his eyes. He bit back a surprised gasp as he looked around.

The walls around him were white, cleanly white and calm. There was no spot of dirt, grunge or blood and rust to be found in this room. It was gentle, warm and comforting. There was another pair of doors before him and he blinked some. He neared the doors while looking around him, a drunken daze overcoming him as he looked at the doors. He closed his eyes and pushed through them, hoping that the minute he opened his eyes, he would be home again.

He opened his eyes slowly as the doors closed behind him. He blinked and rubbed his eyes roughly as he looked around him, his heart skipping a beat as he took in intricate designs of a religious interior. The floor was carpeted, polished over with designs of crimson over black, the walls much the same but more of a dark bronze color. The seats where attendants and churchgoers would sit sat facing each other, the altar standing tall upon a platform like a dictator at the opposite end of the large room in which he stood. Behind the altar on the wall was the Halo of the Sun, the same circle as before.

A figure stood behind the alter, their back turned to the invisible audience. Gai took slow steps forward before stopping and looking down at the carpet as he approached the alter, about halfway between it and the doors from which he entered. The carpet below him, much like the wall before him, was painted with the Halo of the Sun. He lifted his head up, not moving from this spot and looked up at the figure.

"Hello?" he called out lightly. The figure twitched but did not turn. He was wearing a dark robe, black hair glimmering in the lights from above in its bowl shaped form. "Sir…? Please… Could you please tell me where I am…?" Gai whimpered. He felt pathetic and hated himself for it, feeling a cold rush jolt up his spine and send uncomfortable shivers through his limbs.

The figure twitched again before peering over at him over his shoulder. He spoke in a hostile, yet familiar voice, "You know exactly where you are. You just don't want to admit it." Gai blinked, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage. "Excuse me…?" he breathed. The figure turned, revealing a white face sheltering large round eyes and thick eyebrows.

Gai bit back a gasp, "Lee…!? Lee is it really you…?" Lee grinned wickedly, "Perhaps…perhaps not. Who knows, exactly? Do you know exactly who I am? I have not been called Lee for such a long time. Probably because I am not Lee anymore." Gai blinked, his half smile fading, "What…?" Lee stepped up from behind the alter, just at the top of the small stairs of the platform. He was clad in a dark robe of religious design, his hands hidden in the cloth.

"Lee died when he died. I am just a shell of your memory. I am nothing," he said, lifting his arms up. "But you're not nothing! Lee, you mean everything to me!" Gai exclaimed sadly. Lee's face grimaced, his round eyes narrowing hatefully, "Stop calling me 'Lee'! That is not my name! I have no name anymore! I am just a shell! A shadow! A silhouette!" Gai's voice quivered in hateful sadness, "Lee… You're still alive to me…"

Lee growled angrily and sneered, whipping a small handgun from his pocket, a gun of aged design, "I said stop calling me Lee! I am not Lee anymore, you fool!" He aimed quickly, firing off a round into Gai's right shoulder. Gai gave a cry of pain, shooting up a bandaged hand to nurture the wound. "Lee, I don't understand! What's wrong with you! What's going on?" Gai felt tears well up in his eyes once more.

Lee fired off another round into Gai's left shoulder, receiving a startled cry in response. "Dumb old man. You really do not get it. I really hate it when stupid people like you simply refuse to understand something so easy," he hissed. Blood poured from the wounds in Gai's shoulders, painting the floor as well as his hands and shirt in glistening ruby. Gai's face was streaked with tears, "Lee… What are you thinking…? What have you become…?"

Lee howled with anger, firing off bullet after bullet into Gai's chest, causing the man to scream wildly and fall to his knees. "Do you get it now? I am no longer the student you once lived for," Lee said calmly, watching Gai clutch himself and cry out in pain and fear. Gai looked up at Lee, his eyes wide with horror and sadness, tears running down from beneath glistening dark orbs.

Lee narrowed his eyes in distaste, "Such disgusting eyes." Lee rose the gun, the air filling with the explosions of a firing gun, followed by the nasty sound of exploding flesh and bone and splattering of blood and painful, horrified screams.

Gai's hands immediately went up to his face, clutching at the bloody mess above his nose. He fell forward, pressing his forehead against the carpet, his screams turning to sobs. Even as he cried against the floor, he felt his energy flow from his body, causing his torso to collapse against the carpet. He heard nothing but his own screams, even as the double doors behind him slammed open, a light slowly pouring in.

His sobs quieted to whimpers before he went completely silent and embraced the floor, one last breath slipping gently from his lips.

* * *

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

Alessa's eyes were wide and wet. Her hair was drenched and heavy, large droplets of water raining down upon her from the evaporating ceiling of the church. She looked up, squinting her eyes as her face was pelted. "Their god weeps for him," she whispered. She lowered her gaze down to the floor and slowly made her way to the breathless heap before her, her little black buckled shoes submerging into a tiny scarlet puddle surrounding the body as she walked.

She stopped and got down on her knees and gently ran a tiny hand through matted black hair, "Your heart stopped beating…" she reached over, grabbing his slumped shoulders and rolling him over and cradling him in her arms. His face was a scarlet mess; flesh ripped and burnt with bone cracked, chipped off and lodged into his brain. His eyes were no more than burned holes that leaked glimmering streams of vermilion, in which his skin was completely drenched. She looked down over his chest, counting out a total of eight bullet wounds.

Alessa looked up at the altar, the adolescent in black having vanished upon her arrival. "Your nightmare is gone," she said, "Just like…you." She squeezed him, his head slumping against her shoulder. She pressed her lips against his temple, "I can make you better, but you have to promise me not to be scared and not to cry…no matter how much it hurts. You think you can do that? You think you can do that for me?"

Gently, she laid him down on the floor on his back and stood, walking to his naked feet and bending over, latching her small hands onto his bony ankles. He pulled herself back, tugging his legs and dragging him towards the platform and up the stairs. She eased him behind the altar and proceeded to lay his arms outstretched perpendicular to his torso. She cocked her head at him and smiled gently, "You look just like a cross now."

She stood over him and sat, straddling his abdomen. Pressing her hands against his sternum, she leaned over and whispered, "Your belly will hurt a lot for a while…but you'll pull through it…" She laid herself down upon him, her body twitching against his as she pressed herself, grunting slightly with effort as she merged with him, causing his body to tremble in a series of violent seizures. His head tilted back, his lips agape, his throat struggling to suck in oxygen and emitting choked, bloodied gasps.

"Do not open your eyes."

"Lee--"

"Do not speak!"

"But--"

"Shhh…"

"…"

"I am sorry. You are…you are very unstable. You need to rest… Your skin is burning… It is because of the incantation."

Incantation…?

"Yes. It is Alessa."

Alessa…Alessa! Alessa! Lee!

"Gai-sensei…You must calm yourself!"

Lee…is it really you…?

"Yes. It is really me this time."

Oh Lee!

"Please do not move, Gai-sensei. You are not well!"

Lee…I…Something terrible…

"Shhh… It is alright. There is no need for tears, Gai-sensei. Everything is okay now."

Lee! It's really you!

"Yes, it is really me. You should calm yourself; you will make yourself ill!"

I'm sorry, I just…

"I know. It is fine."

But Lee… Wait… I don't understand… You were… at the hospital…

"…Yes. I did not want you to see it."

But then… you really are…

"Yes…I am. But do not cry, Gai-sensei. It is not your fault. Things just…happen, you know?"

But…

"I do not want you to be in so much pain. I want you to live and be yourself again. Be alive again and train with Tenten and Neji."

But our promise…

"I know. It is okay if you break it. Just…I do not want to see you suffer anymore, okay?"

Okay…

All that Gai could see was darkness, but the feeling of gentle taped hands holding him, his face cradled against a soft warm cloth covering a hard chest, was heavenly. The cloth and his face were slightly damp with tears. "I have to let you go soon," Lee whispered against Gai's forehead, "Other people want to see you." He laughed softly, giving Gai an assuring squeeze, "I cannot keep you all to myself. That would be selfish of me."

Lee's voice softened and he rested his head against Gai's. "Just… a little while… longer…" Gai choked out painfully, his voice cracked and unsteady. His throat hurt immensely, but his entire body felt numb. Lee sighed quietly and held Gai closer to him, "Alright. Just a little while longer." Gai sunk against his late student, inhaling shaky breaths as he relaxed in the boy's tender embrace.

"I want you to feel this safe and secure all the time," Lee whispered, "Just as you made me feel when we were together, whether it was training, a friendly neighborhood visit or at the hospital. I know it is hard, but you will pull through…"

Lee went silent for a moment, then laughed quietly, a sad, tearful chuckle, "I do not want you t be an angel just yet… It is not your time…" Gai pressed himself against Lee, softly whimpering. "Be strong again! Be the strong man I admire! Now… I must let you go into the waking world…" Gai's shoulder twitched, "…Wait…"

"Hm?"

"I… …I love… you… Lee…"

"I love you, too… Gai-sensei."

Gai moaned as he opened his eyes, his entire body racking with shockwaves of absurd amounts of pain. He was sore from severe burning and skin grafts, all of which hidden by bandages wrapped up around his body, which was ultimately covered with warm blankets, thick white pillows cushioning his head and shoulders and propping him up slightly. Thin intravenous lines were stuck in his right arm and small breathing tubes were up his nostrils, doing his breathing for him.

He looked around him, the walls housing cabinets and shelves lined with hospital devices and tools for immediate surgical procedures. His head throbbed from the brightness of the walls and he shut them tightly in irritation before snapping them back open to seats placed randomly about the room around him, chairs holding slouched bodies. A sudden panicky fear rose in his chest before he relaxed, seeing that the three figures before him were sleeping rather than passed on. Two wore green vests, the other wore a familiar white and red dressy outfit.

Gai couldn't help but smile painfully, tears of heartfelt joy welling up in his eyes. His tears quickly changed from joyous to painful, making it apparent to Gai that smiling was a bad idea, noting that his face was just as badly burnt as his body was. Flinching was a bad idea, too. Gai watched the three Jounin sleep in their chairs. Kurenai was sitting with her legs crossed and back straight like a real woman, her eyes gently closed and her face relaxed.

Asuma sat with a leg crossed as well, but he was slouched backwards, his head tilted back and his lips slightly agape, a deep, yet quiet snore escaping his throat. Kakashi sat closest to Gai, sitting with his chair like a horse, his arm folded over the back of the chair with his face resting against it, his hair folded and limp over his blue outfit. His free arm was stretched out, his hand resting gently over Gai's.

Gai watched him, his eyes half lidded and glazed over with moisture, exhausted and happy to be surrounded by his friends. He looked back up at the ceiling, tilting his head back to the window above his head. Gentle rays of light from the sun poured in through the window. Slowly, he smiled, _Lee…_

His smile faded and he winced, his back arching and pressing against the mattress of his bed. His stomach lurched and cramped slightly, causing him to grunt in pain. The sudden discomfort faded and he looked down at his stomach silently.

"_Your belly will hurt a lot for a while…but you'll pull through it…"  
_

* * *

End of Chapter 5 


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Notes; Symbols**

Hello and thank you very much for reading Silence of Witches! I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Here's a list of some symbolic pieces mentioned in the story. Note: Some of these symbols may have been extracted from the Silent Hill games 1 and 3. These are not mine to claim for credit, but the ideas to use them for certain events are.

**Doors** - Doors are used in the story as transitions. You may have noticed that when Gai or Kakashi open a door, the paragraph ends and a new one begins. During the Silent Hill games, upon entering an area through a door, you meet a pausing scene transition. Doors and the breaking of paragraphs were used as a means of interpreting these transitions into the story.

**The Closed Door at the end of the Beige Hallway** - This was primarily used as a distraction for Gai and the reader, but was later used as a representation of Gai's comfort zone. When Gai approaches the new hallway in his house, his comfort zone is erased, thus the door to the room at the end of the beige hallway slams shut.

**The New Hallway** - This new obstruction that Gai imagines in his house represents the transition of Gai from the Naruto universe to the Otherworld of Silent Hill. Since Gai is naturally exuberant, the hallway is exceptionally long.

**The Door at the end of the New Hallway** - This is the ultimate transition of Gai from the Naruto Universe to the Silent Hill Otherworld. It's also safe to say that the door is a representation of Gai's breaking point and the beginning of his dillusions, indicated by the whispering of Lee's voice from beyond the door.

**The Elevator** - Literally derived from the phrase "elevator to hell," and also used in Silent Hill 3 in the mall.

**Electric Fans** - Derived from the third game. The three rotating wings represent Past, Present and Future and rotate clockwise when Gai is in a non-tainted area and counterclockwise when Gai enters the Otherworld. The rotation of the wings themselves and the circular shapes of the fans represent Alessa's cycle of Death and Rebirth.

**Gai Facsimile** - Derived from "Memory of Alessa" but is considered the physical manifestation of Gai's hatred for himself.

**Halo of the Sun** - Derived from Silent Hill 1, 3 and 4. (I don't know if it appeared in the first game or not, I haven't had the chance to play it, but I know it's in the 4th game. Why is beyond my understanding.) A religious symbol of the occult. It ultimately symbols Alessa's cycle of death and rebirth, but is seen before the appearance of Gai Facsimile, in which the monster is revived above the circle and dies after it falls through the ground and changes into a pool of fire.

**Alessa -** The real deal in the Silent Hill saga. She's the daughter of Dahlia Gillespie, a devotee in the occult who used Alessa in an experiment that would bring the god (Samael) of the religious occult into the human world. As a result of an incantation, Alessa is forever living, dying and reincarnating. She is known as Cheryl mainly from the first game and Heather in the third. In the story Silence of Witches, her first appearance indirectly foreshadows Gai's death and is the symbolic representation of his salvation.

**"My obsession is now yours." -** Alessa's obsession, being the pain and suffering she endured in her earlier years, becoming Gai's, which is Lee and all that pertains to his death. The otherworld originally was Alessa's own personal nightmare. Now that Gai is the protagonist, the hellish nightmare world that's presented to him is created through his own delusions.

"**How I see fit your actions become; though the angels watch, in yonder time dream and sleep with your soul in mind, thus life and death determined in mine eye, through which they see you reborn**." - This is a message to Gai from me, personally. It basically says that whatever he does is under my influence, as a God figure with me being the author of the story. 'Angels' refer to the readers that read the story and predict what might happen next as they go along. The idea is derived from the message Heather receives in Silent Hill 3 that states that when she dies, the player will restart the game and she will be reborn into the Silent Hill realm. Although it will be good for the player, Heather is not one to enjoy dying and being reborn, as implied in her following response.

**Public Restrooms** - Public restrooms in general are disgusting and unpleasant. During the story, it appears that Lee is playfully hiding from Gai in the middlemost stall. A moment later he is apparently sucked down the toilet. This signifies Gai's fears manifested by the powers of the Otherworld. This grotesque scene is also used to disturb the reader.

**Pyramid Head/Red Pyramid** - The manifestation of James Sunderland's desire for punishment in Silent Hill 2. He holds the same concept in Silence of Witches, though rather than stalking the protagonist, he is more of a cameo character and minor obstacle that the character must overcome.

**The Church - **Resembles that of the church from Silent Hill 1 and 3. It is also Gai's resting place.

**Alessa merging with Gai** - The process of Alessa and Gai becoming one. Derived from the Silent Hill movie, though motivations of this merge are entirely different. Alessa's merging with Gai's body ultimately results in Gai's rebirth into the normal world, whereas he's inflicted with life-threatening burns due to the ritual performed on Alessa's body by her mother Dahlia 30 years prior to present time. Because of this, Gai is also undying and suffers severe stomach aches.

Stay tuned for the sequel, _Seal of Metatron_, soon to come. Thank you.


End file.
